Parts of the former Grace United Evangelical Church in the 200 block of Lincoln Street came down on two homes Saturday.

The church’s congregation will pay for the demolition.

There was an issue earlier in the week of who was going to do the work. The borough had identified a contractor and officials were considering using tax dollars to pay for the job, but a contractor hired by the church filed for a demolition permit and the borough approved it.

Cyndi Ivanoff’s daughter lives on Lincoln Street. She hopes something good will come out of this situation.

“It is sad to see it go because of the history,” Ivanoff said, “but you can rebuild from this and hopefully they will build a community center for the kids.”

The church’s stained glass windows were removed before demolition began.

The borough’s codes enforcement officer must inspect the property before residents evacuated from the two homes can return.